The Chamber: Eliot
by Unajet
Summary: Eliot's past finally catches up with him but he may not be the only one who suffers. How far will two people go to try and save the other? Individual one-shot with possible future alternate POV.


As Eliot began to regain consciousness, he recognized the feeling of lying on hard, cold concrete. Before opening his eyes, he took a moment to listen to his surroundings to see if he was alone. There was a slight hum of equipment somewhere in the distance, but no breathing or movement that would indicate another person nearby.

Opening his eyes, he was looking at a plain concrete wall in the distance past a span of calm, clear water. Starting to move his body, he felt the foreign items immediately on his limbs. Around both of his ankles but only his right wrist were metal cuffs. His left arm remained free for some reason. Examining the cuffs, he found that they had been tack welded closed. Attached to the cuffs were lengths of chain that led to a single, keyed lock attached to a square steel eye plate. The plate had been riveted into the concrete wall next to him. There were roughly three feet of chain on his arm cuff and about two on the leg's cuffs. It was high enough so that he could stand but he would not be able to walk anywhere. The only thing keeping him there was the lock. With the key, he could be free of the wall at least, if not the cuffs and chains.

Checking out his surroundings though, Eliot realized that there was nowhere for him to go. He was positioned on a small concrete ledge that dipped under the water before taking a dramatic downward turn. The smoothness of the dip did not allow for any type of handhold from the water. Its shape was that of a half circle, allowing the water to touch the walls to either side of the ledge. The ledge itself was only large enough to have held his body while he was lying down.

The room itself looked to be made of all concrete. It was about twenty foot square with light coming from the glass roof high above. Eliot realized that he was basically in a square concrete tube. There were only two features that caught his attention. Across from him was a simple metal ladder that rose out of the water, giving access to a closed metal door a few feet above the water line. But about fifteen feet above him, there was a steel, grated catwalk that ran from his left to the far right wall, crossing over the middle of the water. The left side had a closed metal door and the other ended at a solid wall. The walkway itself had no railings for protection.

Eliot was still wearing the same clothes he remembered putting on, but after checking a few choice locations, found that his hidden knives and expanding batons had been removed. He had no item on him that would help in trying to get out of the chains. Nevertheless, he started pulling on the chains to see if he could force the plate from the wall. After a few minutes, Eliot realized that he was indeed trapped in this place.

Since he could do nothing else, Eliot decided to get the attention of whoever may be out there. He figured he may as well get this show on the road. He was definitely ready to hit someone.

"Hey! Anybody?" he called out. The sound of his voice echoed in the enclosure.

Eliot waited but nobody came to either door and he heard no sounds from beyond. Either they had left him here or they were waiting to come back at a later time.

Reaching out, he touched the water and found it a neutral temperature. Touching his wet finger to his tongue, he tasted the water. No salt or chlorine was noticeable. That had to mean it was nothing more than tap water. Looking down into the clear depths of the water, he could see the bottom. It had to be almost fifteen feet down. There was no sign of any type of drain at the bottom, meaning there was nowhere for the water to go.

Placing his back to the wall, Eliot slid down into a sitting position. Running his hands through the hair that had fallen across his face, he pushed it back as he took a deep breath. The chains on his legs forced him to bend his knees. His feet would not reach the water when he tried to stretch them outward.

Now that he was used to the idea that he was going nowhere, Eliot decided to try figure out why he was here but also who had put him here. There was no shortage of enemies from his past. But this set up did not match anyone's technique. This was a trap or experiment of some form. Most of the people he dealt with would just have likely put a bullet into his head from a distance as opposed to stringing him along in whatever elaborate scheme this was. If they were going to leave him for dead, why leave just one arm free? Why not chain all of his limbs?

Eliot doubted that his team had noticed him missing yet. They had finished their last job just days ago and they still had almost a week of off time before they were to meet back up. If they did not need something from him, it could be a while before they even began to search. He was already starting to feel hungry, meaning it had been at least twelve hours since the last time he ate. He was used to skipping meals, or at least prolonging the time in between, while he was on jobs. Whatever drug they used to knock him out must have lasted for a long time.

As the next couple of hours passed, Eliot found himself with nothing to do but sit. Out of sheer boredom, he had crossed his arms over his raised knees while lowering his head. He was not sure if he had truly fallen asleep when he finally heard a noise coming from above him. Someone was moving outside of the upper door near the catwalk.

A couple of more minutes passed while the noises continued to echo through the chamber. Eliot could not tell exactly what they were made from. There was a sound of something heavy being dragged and dropped, with the muffled sound of voices. Every so often one would get a bit louder, almost as if someone yelled.

"Hey!" he called out again, pushing his hair out of his face as he stood up, wondering if he was about to be rescued. But he knew that it was more likely that who had ever put him here was finally about to reveal himself. By calling out, at least they would know he was waiting for them. The noises subsided some after he had yelled but something was still going on. He began to cross his arms as he stood but the chain connected to his wrist prevented his normal stance. Eliot swore slightly under his breath at the irritation.

There was a loud, jarring sound as the upper metal door finally opened. A well-built man entered the room. He was dressed in all black fatigues, with a standard black knitted hood covering his head. If Eliot knew this man, there was nothing about his features that gave away his identity. Reaching back out of the door, he grabbed something and gave it a hard yank into the room. Suddenly, Parker appeared on the catwalk being held in place by the man.

Eliot felt like screaming out at the sight before him as his hands became fist, wanting to hit the man. He figured she must have been working out when they took her. Parker wore nothing but a tight pair of black shorts with a bright pink sports bra. A red ball gag had been placed between her lips to prevent her from talking or yelling. Around her neck, attached with a simple piece of thread, was a key. Eliot guessed that it had to be the key to the lock holding him there. But it was the item in her hands that scared him. Parker held a large, metal ball with a chain running from it to her right ankle.

From the size of it, Eliot guess that it had to weigh about fifteen pounds. With Parker's size, it should be just enough to prevent her from being able to swim.

"Parker!" Eliot yelled to get her attention, pulling on the chains holding him to the wall, trying to inch his way closer to her.

Parker finally looked down, making eye contact with Eliot. He could see the fear in her eyes. She had to have heard him earlier. Parker had probably hoped that he had been there to free her. Eliot had not even considered this scenario. As they both looked around the chamber, now knowing the predicament the other was in, they realized what was about to happen. The man roughly pulled Parker further out onto the catwalk, almost making her loose the hold she had on the weight.

"Who the hell are you? Let her go," Eliot screamed at the masked man. He only stared down at Eliot without saying a word. Positioning Parker in the center of the catwalk, he moved her close to the edge. Eliot knew that a simple push would be all that he would need to give to force her off of it. From where she now stood, Parker would fall directly in front of Eliot just a few feet away from him. Turning his body sideways, he guessed that if he were to extend his free left arm out and if Parker did the same, they should be able to reach each other's hand.

"Eliot Spencer. You may have hidden your location for a while, but that time is now over. You allowed yourself to be spotted on one of your 'jobs'. This information was then sold to one of your many enemies. She," he said before taking a handful of Parker's hair in his hand, pulling it close to his face and taking a long sniff, "is here because it was the easiest way to torment you. We have been watching you for the past few weeks and saw how protective you were of her."

Parker looked from the man down towards Eliot, who looked like he could spit nails. Eliot could see the confusion in her eyes at the comment. Over the past few years, he had grown to care for her but it was nothing that he had ever acted on. It was his job to protect the team. But there had been times when he felt it was necessary to watch over Parker a bit more.

The hooded man had spoken with a flat, monotone voice. Eliot could not pick up any trace of an accent to help him figure out who he was. He was probably nothing more than a hired thug anyway.

"In a few moments, your lovely lady friend will be thrust from here, to there," he said giving a downward sweep with his hand towards the water. "If it had not been for this one here giving us so much trouble, this would have been over by now."

Parker gave a slight chuckle at this comment, which Eliot could not believe, given the situation. This did seem to anger the man. He then gripped Parker's chin firmly, forcing her face mere inches from his own.

"Laugh all you want but you are about to die because of your association with that killer down there. If it was not for him, you would still be safe. Instead, you will drown. Now, you have a choice. The key around your neck will release the lock chaining Eliot to the wall. This will free him, allowing him to live. But, I think that you deserve to know something about his past. What he is capable of. The kind of monster that you would be allowing to live."

With that, the man leaned over and began to whisper into Parker's ear. Eliot could only watch as the look of horror slowly overcame Parker's face as the man continued. He could not even guess as to what the man was telling her. From the tears that swelled up in her eyes, he knew that it had to be one of his most wicked deeds.

"Now," the man said reaching behind her head and removing the ball gag, "knowing that was only a sample of what he has done, do you really think that a monster like that deserves to live?"

Parker turned her face towards Eliot. He saw as the tears began to trickle down her redden cheeks. The masked man then quietly took a step behind Parker.

"Is what he said true? Did you do that?" Parker asked quietly, her voice shaking.

Eliot could only look up at her. What could he say? He took a deep breath before speaking.

"Parker, there are so many horrible things that I did, that I regret doing, before I met you and the team. I'm sure that if he knows my history, then he would not have to make up any story to tell you. So, yeah, I probably did," Eliot said calmly.

Parker gave her head a slight nod of understanding towards him just as she felt a hand on her back shove her off of the catwalk.

"Parker!" Eliot screamed as he saw her drop towards the water. He quickly stretched his body outward, reaching out with his free hand as far as possible. He felt the cuff cut into his wrist as his body was jolted to a stop abruptly. "Grab my hand!"

As she fell, Parker released the ball with only her left hand, hoping to keep some of the weight off of her ankle when she made contact with the water. Leaning as much as she could toward where Eliot had extended his arm over the water, she reached out to try and grasp his hand. As he heard the sound of her body hitting the water, Eliot's hand made contact, grasping tightly around her wrist. A second later, he felt her fingers digging into his own wrist, trying to get a firm grip.

Now, the combined weight of her body and the metal ball began to try and submerge her. Eliot tried to pull her closer but with the extra weight he knew he was barely holding her in place. Parker's face was just above the level of the water. Eliot realized that she must have release her grip on the ball as her other hand was now trying to find an area to grasp on the sloping concrete area he was standing on. He already knew that the gesture was useless. There was nowhere for her fingers to hold.

As they lingered in the same position for a few moments, Eliot took a moment to look up at the hooded man. He could see the smile form around his eyes as he watched them. Without a word, he walked to the door, closing it behind him.

"Parker, give me a minute and I will think of some way out of this, understand?" Eliot said in the calmest voice he could muster. He could feel the adrenalin pumping through his body from her predicament. His right wrist was hurting and giving a quick glance back at it, he saw the blood beginning to drip down his arm.

"Eliot, I need you to do something for me," Parker said trying to lift her chin up enough out of the water so that she could talk.

"Parker, do not…" he began to say, turning back to face her.

"Eliot," she said firmly. The look she was giving him made him go quiet. Parker's expression was severe and deadly. "I have to ask you to be the man you used to be. Kill them all. I need the old you to do that. For me."

With those words, he saw her free hand rise from the water towards him. In it he saw the key that had been hung from her neck. The key to the lock holding him to the wall. As her hand with the key reached his left hand, touching it to make sure the key was where he could get it, Parker released her grip on his wrist. Without her willingness to hold on, Eliot felt her hand slip through his.

Eliot grabbed at her right hand, the one with the key. As his fingers grabbed the life-saving piece of thin metal, he could only watch as Parker's head disappeared under the water.

"No!" Eliot screamed as loud as he could. "Parker!"

He quickly turned around to the wall, trying to calm himself as he used the key to release the lock holding him in place. Only a few seconds passed before he was able to twist the handle of the lock so that the three chains fell free, dropping to the concrete. Turning back to the water, he watched as air bubbles began to hit the surface.

Taking a couple of quick, deep breaths, Eliot dove into the water. As he swam down to where she had come to rest on the bottom, he could see Parker frantically stroking her arms, trying to use brute force to lift the ball while she swam to the surface. The ball still rested on the floor, unmoving with her attempt.

Swimming in front of Parker, he got her attention and pointed upwards, trying to make sure she knew that he needed her to swim. He could see that from her attempt that she was already having a problem from lack of oxygen. Reaching out for her head, Eliot grabbed ahold of the sides of her face and pulled her towards him. As their lips touched, Eliot used his to make hers part just enough so that he was able to force his own air supply into her lungs. As the seconds passed, he could not help but notice that her lips were as soft as he had always imagined they would be.

Parker's eyes had been wide as their lips first touched but now he saw that she had closed them. Hoping that she now had enough air to sustain her, Eliot released his grip on her face. Again pointing up towards the surface, he reached down to the ball, picking it up. Parker seemed to understand as she used her arms to begin swimming towards the surface.

There was not a lot of chain between her ankle and the ball, less than three feet. Eliot's body was forced to the bottom by the weight of the ball. There was no way that he would be able to swim while holding it. He lifted his arms strait up over his head, keeping the ball as far from the bottom as he could manage. Looking up, he saw Parker rising but he doubted that she even knew of the ladder that had been on the other side of the chamber. Since he had the weight of the ball holding him down, Eliot took a few steps toward the wall where he knew the ladder to be. He could only hope that Parker could reach the bottom rung and use it to pull herself up.

With every second, with every step, he felt his lungs burn stronger from their want of air. He had tried to give Parker all that he could, hoping that it would be enough to keep her alive. Eliot saw the wall slowly getting closer so that it finally came within an arm's reach. His head was pounding as his body wanted to suck in air, but he knew that there was none for him. His body then took charge from his mind, making him take a breath. It expected air, but instead water began to fill his lungs.

Eliot felt his body shake in a convulsion from the perplexing feeling. His arms suddenly became not as heavy as they had been. Where was the ball that he had been holding above his head? Had he dropped it? He quickly scanned the floor around his feet trying to find it. If he had dropped it, then Parker would be as dead as he was about to be. There was no sign of it on the bottom. Turning his head to look up, he saw a shape above him. Was that Parker's body?

Feeling something touching the tips of his fingers, Eliot gave the hardest push that he could upward from the floor. A hand clasped his and he could only allow himself to be pulled wherever it was he was being taken. Seconds passed before Eliot felt his face break the surface of the water. Giving his chest a heave, he felt the water he had sucked in being freed from his body. He was then seized by a coughing fit to expel any remaining water, while also trying to take in the oxygen his body had been desperately needing.

Opening his eyes, Eliot saw Parker floating on her back in front of him. Every other time he had seen a body like this, they had been dead. But with the smile that was on her lips and her eyes looking over at him, all Eliot could do was smile back at her.

"I thought that the military had trained you to take orders," Parker said putting a scowl on her face. She still held on to his hand from pulling him up from the bottom of the chamber.

Eliot looked her over, trying to figure out what she had done to save him. When his eyes finally reached her feet, he saw that Parker had positioned the metal ball in the space between the ladder's bottom rung, which was under the water's level, and the wall. The ball sat with only gravity holding it in place.

"Damn it, Parker, you should not have done that. You should not have risked your life to save me. If you had pulled too much, that ball would have dropped back down. You would have been pulled under again. There was no way I could have helped you."

Parker twisted her body upright, her leg bent slightly keeping it near the ladder, so that she could look him straight in the eyes.

"I could not leave you down there. I had to try," Parker said giving his hand a firm squeeze. Eliot reached out, wrapping his arms around her slim form in the tightest hug he had ever given anyone. He was not sure how long they stayed like that before they finally reached over, each taking a hold of the ladder with a hand.

Parker, with her amazing flexibility, lifted her ankle out of the water so that it was directly in front of Eliot's face, between their bodies, so that she could show him the cuff around her ankle. The weight of the ball had caused the cuff to slice into her skin similar to what had happened to his wrist.

"They welded it shut to prevent me from picking the lock," she said with a pout on her lips.

Eliot smiled at her simple statement while raising his right wrist out of the water to show her his matching one.

"Same here," he said. "As well as both of the ones on my ankles."

"So, go on up. Make sure it's clear," Parker said motioning with her head upwards towards the door.

"Oh, no, I'm not leaving you in this water alone with that thing still around your ankle," Eliot said growling angrily at the metal ball. Wrapping his left arm around her bare waist, he intended to give her a slight lift up onto the ladder. But as soon as his fingers had touched her smooth skin, he did not want her to go anywhere. The masked man had been right about one thing. He did feel protective of her. The fact that she was here because of him pained him more than anything else. Parker noticed his hesitation at releasing her as the seconds began to pass.

"Parker, I'm sorry that they dragged you into this mess," Eliot stated quietly, avoiding eye contact with her. "And whatever that man told you, I'm sorry you had to hear about that part of my life at all."

Reaching her free hand toward Eliot's head, she brushed away the wet hair that had partially covered his face when he had surfaced. Eliot realized that he enjoyed the sensation of her fingers around his face. For so long he had tried to avoid being this close to anyone, knowing from past experiences that it never worked out. Not with the life he had led. Parker then inclined her head towards his, giving Eliot a firm kiss.

Parker's arms then wrapped around Eliot's neck while her chain-free leg wrapped around his waist, pulling his body firmly against hers. Usually, this would be where he would remind her that normal people had personal space boundaries, but his body overrode his mind, forcing him to stay quite. He could feel his body beginning to respond to their intimacy.

Returning the kiss, Eliot gripped her tighter to his own body. The response they were having towards each other had to be due to the life-threatening situation they had just been in. Right? After a while, Parker finally pulled back, leaving his lips wanting more.

"Eliot, everyone on the team has a past. Yours has made you the person you are today. The one that is my friend. I've known that you did scary things in the past, but, I don't care what you did. In fact, you still have something that I need you to do. Will you do that to make sure this does not happen again?"

The look that Parker was giving him as she spoke changed from affectionate to unfeeling. Eliot had already made up his mind to kill everyone responsible for them being here, but the fact that Parker, sweet innocent Parker, was still giving him permission, scared him.

"Oh, I intend to, darling, but not because you want me to. From the moment you came through that door, they were all dead men. I'll not have what I'm about to do to them hanging over your head so that later on you blame yourself."

Parker's face lit up with a smile that brought out one of his own. Anyone left outside of those doors was a walking dead man. Releasing her grip from around his body, Parker turned to the ladder, pulling herself up onto the first step. As soon as she had moved up another step, she felt Eliot's body surround hers protectively. He also lifted the heavy, metal ball in his right hand so that she could easily climb the stairs. Once she reached the door, Parker held her ear to it listening for sounds of movement on the other side. Looking over her shoulder, she gave Eliot a quick shake of her head to let him know that it was quiet on the other side.

"You go take care of business, and I will steal us a way to get home," Parker said glancing over her shoulder at Eliot. He took a deep breath, anticipating what he may find on the other side. Giving her a nod that he was ready, they exited the room as Parker opened the door.


End file.
